Chapter 239 The golden cicada escapes from its shell
The lights in the makeshift tent were dim.

Yan Qing is small and hides secretly in the corner, not attracting attention.

The voice he spoke at this time immediately attracted everyone's attention, and Lu Junyi was particularly surprised.

"Yan Xiaoyi? Didn't you leave? Why are you here?"

"The Jin army made unusual movements, and I was worried, so I followed them secretly. General, you must not raid the camp."

"Cough cough."

Lu Junyi raised his fist and coughed lightly, while glancing at the people around him.

Why are you talking nonsense? Do you have the right to speak in front of the army?

After a moment of contemplation, Yu Qilin reminded him in a deep voice: "You are the commander of the Luzhou army. If you want to help, just follow me quietly. If you don't know the specific situation, don't talk nonsense in the army."

"no."

Yan Qing waved his hands and explained hastily: "Crossing the river at night is dangerous and will definitely cause noise. Shenshui is very close to Baosai. Once the Jin army finds out, what if they attack us halfway across the river?"

"Haha, just say you don't know the situation. The Shun'an Army has already crossed the river from downstream. Song Chengxuan just sent Dai Zong here and agreed to raid the camp tonight. With them holding the flanks, what are you afraid of?"

“It’s because of Song”

"Yan Commander."

Before Yan Qing finished speaking, Chai Jin interrupted him and said, "We all came from Liangshan. We all shared the same hatred and hatred before. Although we have different positions now, we still have to trust each other and listen to General Lu's orders."

"I"

"Okay, Master Chai is right. All brothers, go and get ready. When the boats arrive, cross the river in order. I will be the first to cross the river. If the Jin army really attacks, I will resist and cover them alone. The rest will retreat to the south bank. Master Chai, you will cover the rear."

"Yes!"

Seeing everyone agreeing in unison, Yan Qing knew that it would be tactless to stop them, but he was worried about Lu Junyi's safety.

Yan Qing was a delicate man after all. He waited until everyone had left before approaching and asking with concern: "General, cross the river first. What if you encounter the Jin army? Talai is really hard to deal with."

"You have followed me for many years. When have I ever been afraid of anyone?"

"Although the general is very powerful, after all, two fists cannot defeat four hands. If we are entangled by the Jin army, it may be difficult to retreat to the south bank."

"You're smart, aren't you? Why should I retreat to the South Bank?"

Lu Junyi snorted and said confidently: "Song Jiang's army is downstream. I can go downstream and escape."

"what?"

Yan Qing's eyes widened, "Do you trust Song Jiang so much? What if..."

"Alright." Lu Junyi waved his hand, "Have you forgotten what Master Chai said just now? The necessary trust is still there. Don't talk about military affairs anymore. Since you are willing to help, follow the rear army across the river and see how I can accomplish great things."

"Uh"

Lu Junyi's mysterious self-confidence made Yan Qing unable to respond. He thought that before every battle, Yang Chang would repeatedly conduct reconnaissance and confirm, and would only take action when there was absolutely no risk of failure. He never entrusted the safety of his own troops to the hands of so-called friendly forces.

Good words can hardly persuade a dead ghost, and mercy without salvation will only cut off others.

Yan Qing doesn't trust Song Jiang, and now he can't stop Lu Junyi. Ancun, it's true that you are good at martial arts, and the Jin people may really be unstoppable, but what about these brothers under your command? Most of the remaining ones are not as good as me.

While fighting under Yang Chang, Yan Qing didn't even have the chance to go to the battlefield, and even Wu Song stayed in Weisheng for a long time.

Compare the two and make a judgment.

At the end of You and the beginning of Xu, Zhang Shun led his men downstream from Shenshui and delivered thirty boats as promised.

Among the eight naval leaders of Liangshan, the three Ruan brothers joined Yang Chang, Li Jun, Tong Wei and Tong Meng left and lived in seclusion, Zhang Heng died in the expedition against Fang La, and Zhang Shun became the only one left, allowing Song Jiang to maintain the naval system.

There is a big river in the jurisdiction of Shun'an Army, and it flows into Nanyishui together with Shenshui River, so the navy can still play a role in Song Jiang's support for Baozhou this time.

(Shenshui is Fuhe River, also known as Qingyuan River, which originates in Baozhou.)
Lu Junyi was not assigned to be the leader of the navy, nor did he have the strength to re-organize the navy, but he had Meng Kang under his command who could take on the role. So after Zhang Shun sent the boat over, he ordered Meng Kang to assist the friendly forces in ferrying people across the river, and at the same time ordered all troops to cross the river in order.

In the silent night, the fishing lights sparkle.

Yan Qing followed Cai Fu and Cai Qing across the river. He waited anxiously until he reached the north bank. During this time, no Jin army came to harass them, and Lu Junyi was certain that the raid would be successful.

They immediately assembled and prepared their troops on the north bank, preparing to rest until midnight to launch the attack. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, they did not even send out scouts, and all the intelligence came from Song Jiang.

However, due to Yan Qing's "misjudgment", it was inconvenient and difficult for him to continue to advise, but after the entire army crossed to the north bank, Zhang Shun would return downstream to report and take all the ships away.

At that time, there was still more than an hour left after Li Ye. Zhang Shun would not participate in the battle, so there was no reason for him to stay. Moreover, once the war was won, Ma Kuo would definitely go out of the city to comfort the troops, and the subsequent return journey across the river was a matter for another time.

Although Zhang Shun's reasons were justified, Yan Qing felt vaguely uneasy, so he asked Cai Fu for a few people, and then used the excuse of feeling unwell to stay on the shore and watch the boat.

If they really encounter danger, dozens of boats will not be able to take everyone away, so they can only grasp the resources for crossing the river in advance, which can be regarded as leaving a small retreat.

Shenshui was only ten miles away from Baosai. According to the intelligence about the Jin people shared by Song Jiang, the Jin army of Zhending Prefecture was just two miles to the south, and they agreed to raid the camp from the east and west at midnight to prevent Guo Yaoshi from coming to the north of the city to rescue.

According to the plan, Lu Junyi needed to take a detour and launch an attack from the west side of the Jin camp.

Just after the hour of Hai, he ordered his men to hold their mouths shut and wrap their horses' hooves, urging the troops to advance under the hazy moonlight.

While marching northward, scouts reported that a fire was spotted in the east. Upon hearing this, Lu Junyi looked up and saw a fire in the distance that looked like a firefly.

Lu Junyi wanted to share this with Yan Qing, but when he looked around, he saw only Li Ying, so he said leisurely, "That must be Song Jiang's army. They are not careful when robbing the camp. If they are discovered by the Jin scouts, won't their whereabouts be exposed?

"They were far away, and perhaps they forgot to put out the torches, but the flames were quite dim, so I hope the Jin army didn't notice."

“It doesn’t hurt to notice.”

Hearing Li Ying's serious words, Lu Junyi comforted him, "It would be best to lure away the main force in the camp, so that we can take advantage of the opportunity and maybe capture Talan alive."

"I hope so."

"Well, Song Jiang is not acting carefully. Tell all the troops to be careful and not to make any noise."

"Yes!"

After walking for a while, they arrived at the Jin army camp and found that the camp gate was not open.

Not knowing whether Song Jiang had arrived, Lu Junyi did not dare to go in alone, so he hid outside the camp and waited for the watch.

After waiting for a long time, Li Ying suddenly reminded him: "Brother, listen, the drums in the camp are beating, it's midnight."

"heard it."

Lu Junyi nodded and said, "Inform all the troops immediately and prepare to follow me in to attack."

"it is good"

"No!"

"why is it you again?"

Yan Qing suddenly rushed to the front of the army and was immediately scolded by Lu Junyi: "Don't talk nonsense. If you dare to disrupt our army's morale again, don't blame me for being merciless. Get out of here immediately!"

"Wait a minute, I am very sensitive to sounds. I heard the first watch in the camp clearly, but then the drums were beaten in disorder. There must be a trick. Why don't we wait for Song Jiang first?"

"The agreed time has come. Who goes first and who goes last? It is already midnight. The Jin army must be sleepy. What difference will it make if they are sleeping and the night watch is on? So I don't understand. How can you understand military strategy? Don't stop me from defeating the enemy and making achievements!"

Lu Junyi ignored the advice, pulled away the annoying Yan Qing, and urged his troops to break into the camp and rob the stronghold.

The Yongning army marched in with great force. Lu Junyi led the way and entered the village gate and headed straight for the central army. He did not see a single general along the way, but saw several sheep tied to a tree, with drumsticks tied to the sheep's hooves to beat drums, so he was even more confused.

Am I so unlucky? Did Yan Qing come up with it?
Li Ying panicked when he saw this and quickly reminded: "Brother, you've fallen into a trap!"

"Hurry up and retreat the same way!"

Lu Junyi was very decisive at this time. He turned around and rode away. The central army behind him suddenly set fire. At the same time, shouts of killing were heard all around. Ambushes rose up from all directions and attacked together.

A group of Jin soldiers from the rear of the central army rode out on horseback, holding Talai.

He drew his bow and shot several Han soldiers, then shouted loudly: "How dare a mere bandit come to raid our camp? Kill them all!"

"Follow me!"

Lu Junyi's mind was blank, but his body instinctively made him raise his gun and kill indiscriminately.

At this moment, he was like an angry lion, breaking through the siege with his powerful force. His subordinates were panicked and fled for their lives following him.

After receiving the report from the scouts, Talai looked towards the west of the camp in surprise, frowned and muttered, "How could this fellow break out? But what's the point of breaking out? Most of them are infantry. Order the cavalry in each camp to attack in full force and chase the Han people until they are dead!"

"Yes!"

Lu Junyi was greedy for merit and acted rashly, while his opponent was well prepared, so how could he not be defeated?
In such a critical moment, Yan Qing caught up with Lu Junyi and offered another suggestion, "General, our boat is still there. Come with me to the south bank."

"There are only a few dozen boats, and the Jin army is full of cavalry. How much can be transported in such a hurry? So, I will lead the cavalry to the east to attract the attention of the Jin soldiers, and you will help the infantry cross the river!"

"Go east? General, are you going to look for Song Jiang? The Shun'an Army didn't show up tonight. It seems that we are the only ones who came to rob the camp. This man can no longer be trusted!"

"I have my measure."

Lu Junyi suffered a great loss tonight and naturally became suspicious of Song Jiang. He led his troops eastward at this time to question him in person.

In order to cover the retreat of the infantry, Lu Junyi first returned to the army and fought a battle, and then ran all the way eastward, but after running twenty miles away, he did not see any camps or fires.

Where are Song Jiang's people? Where are the Shun'an Army?
After being chased by the Jin army for a whole night, cavalrymen fell off their horses and left the team one after another. Lu Junyi initially had a thousand cavalrymen with him, but in the end, when he broke away from the pursuit, he was left with less than three hundred people.

The next morning, Lu Junyi saw someone transferring baggage across the river at the confluence of two rivers downstream. When he got closer, he realized it was his acquaintance Hua Rong.

"Huazhi Village!"

"Mr. Lu? Why are you here?"

"Why?"

Lu Junyi's heart sank, thinking that Hua Rong didn't even know, could it be that Song Jiang deliberately asked me to send him off?
Thinking of this, his face darkened instantly, and he asked in a deep voice: "Where is Song Chengxuan now? Why didn't he rob the camp as agreed last night?"

"Before we raided the camp last night, we suddenly discovered that a scout was missing. We were worried that they would be captured by the Jin army and their whereabouts would be exposed, so we turned back during the march and sent Dean Dai to inform them. Didn't you know about this, brother?"

"Hey, Dean Dai? Has he been here?"

"This"

Hua Rong swallowed and explained with an awkward expression: "It happened suddenly, and we had to move overnight. Maybe Dean Dai didn't make it in time? Fortunately, my brother escaped."

"Escape? That's easy to say."

Lu Junyi replied grimly: "I brought 20,000 soldiers and a dozen leaders. How many are left now?"

"It's useless for my brother to be angry. Military advisors are always cautious in deploying troops. In addition, we are divided into two armies, so it is inevitable that there will be errors in deployment."

"Cautious use of troops? Mismanagement errors? Then why invite them to rob the camp? Where is Wu Yong? Where is Song Gongming?"

"Rest on the other side of the river."

As soon as Hua Rong finished speaking, Lu Junyi ordered domineeringly: "Take us across the river!"

"Uh, okay."

Lu Junyi boarded the boat in anger, and three hundred riders crossed the river to the south bank, and then asked Hua Rong to lead the way to find Song Jiang.

Hua Rong waved his hands and explained, "Brother Gongming still needs to rescue Baozhou, and I have to go back to the army for scouts later. I'm afraid I can't go with you, so you should go on your own."

"That won't work, I'll find you!"

Lu Junyi often uses his fists to reason. He was deceived and suffered a great loss last night. Now he finally meets Song Jiang's confidant, who is unwilling to let him go no matter what.

Hua Rong showed bitterness when he saw this. It was the first time he saw Lu Junyi, who was unmatched in the world with spears and sticks, actually clinging to him like a scoundrel, which made young Li Guang unable to adapt for a while.

"Brother, you..."

He was wondering how to escape when suddenly, with his extraordinary eyesight, he saw smoke and dust rising from the south bank, and soon a horse appeared faintly.

"Look, someone is coming!"

"Don't even think about getting off topic, ok?"

Lu Junyi looked in the direction of the voice and saw the person getting closer and closer. The figure became more and more familiar. It seemed to be Mr. Chai?
Why are you alone?
My 20,000 troops were completely wiped out?
While he was daydreaming, Chai Jin rode up to him, clasped his fists and greeted him without dismounting: "General Lu, Hua Zhizhai"

"We evacuated last night. What happened?"

Lu Junyi asked excitedly, and Hua Rong nodded slightly in greeting.

"Ugh"

Chai Jin sighed and responded, "I brought 20,000 infantry and cavalry yesterday, but only 30% of them retreated to the south bank, thanks to Yan Xiaoyi's effective dispatch. The rest..."

"heard it?"

Lu Junyi glared at Hua Rong and angrily shouted, "If Song Gongming hadn't been treacherous, how could these 10,000 good men have died tragically under the swords of the Jin army? You must give an explanation!"

"Mr. Lu, I am only the leader of the charge, the major matters are decided by the military advisor, you need an explanation."

Hua Rong was speaking with an embarrassed expression when Lu Junyi suddenly remembered the safety of the leader who was on the expedition, and immediately interrupted and asked Chai Jin: "By the way, are all the brothers okay?"

"Yu Baosi was killed last night, and Li Yun was shot in the shoulder by an arrow. The rest of the people are fine."

"Yu Baosi is gone?"

After hearing this, Lu Junyi became excited again and grumbled to Hua Rong like Xianglin Sao: "This is also due to Song Jiang. Sir, let's go find him together!"

"The soldiers have just been defeated and need you to boost their morale. I am willing to seek justice on their behalf."

"Alright."

Seeing that Chai Jin was sincere, Lu Junyi parted ways with him and whipped his horse to go upstream.

When he was halfway through the race, he suddenly saw dozens of boats floating down the river, so he stopped on the shore and waved, "Hey, I'm Lu Junyi, stop the boat quickly!"

Although he shouted loudly, the only response he got was the sound of water. The boatmen seemed to be deaf and completely ignored Lu Junyi.

what's the situation?
Two hours later, Lu Junyi arrived at the troop assembly point.

Before he could comfort the soldiers, he dismounted and looked around. He found Li Ying and asked, "Where is Meng Kang? Where are the ships that I asked him to look after? How come he can't do such a small thing? I just met a fleet on the road, but no one responded no matter how I called out."

"Brother, you didn't respond?" Li Ying was surprised. "Meng Kang is on the boat. He heard that you had evacuated downstream, so he volunteered to go downstream to meet you."

"what?"

"Meng Kang has a good relationship with Zhang Shun. Zhang Shun must have said something last night. He volunteered just now to escape. I'm afraid he has followed in Bai Sheng's footsteps."

(End of this chapter)